Researcher Daria Gritsenko, 30, of the University of Helsinki, sits for a portrait in her cabin aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as the ship sails north in the Bering Sea toward the Arctic, Thursday, July 13, 2017. She is hoping to learn more about the Northwest Passage to aid her work in energy development in the Arctic. Although this will be her first transit through the passage, she has been to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic. "I love the Arctic. It's such a powerful nature that I felt so little in comparison," she said. "It makes you realize how much of dust you are on this planet. It's very intimidating but I felt very calm inside." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Deck repairman Mika Koponen, 41, sits for a portrait aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as the ship sails the Amundsen Gulf in the Arctic, Wednesday, July 19, 2017. Koponen, who is making his first traverse through the Northwest Passage, started sailing at the age of 15 after following in his brother's footsteps. "He was my idol. He sent me postcards from everywhere in the world," said Koponen of his brother who passed away five years ago. "After he became sick, I became his idol because he couldn't sail anymore. Now I'm taking these amazing adventures and I keep the tradition of the postcards. I think he'd be proud." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

First engineer Kristian Autio, 44, sits for a portrait in the engine room of the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as it sails in the North Pacific Ocean toward the Bering Strait, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Autio has worked aboard Finnish icebreakers since 2002 and this will be his first time crossing the Arctic's Northwest Passage. Finland has a long history of building icebreakers and has built 60 percent of the world's fleet. "We take care of the ship as if it's our own," said Autio. "We [Finns] are very proud of our icebreakers." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Master Mariner Jyri Viljanen, 56, captain of the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica stands for a portrait in the ship's bridge as it sails north in the Bering Sea toward the Arctic, Thursday, July 13, 2017. Viljanen has been going to sea for 39 years and this will be his first transit through the Arctic's Northwest Passage. "It's once a lifetime," said Viljanen. "The biggest risk is these are very remote areas so if anything happens it's very difficult to get any help or rescue or anything." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Trainee Maatiusi Manning, 33, of Cape Dorset, Nunavut, in Canada's northern territories, sits for a portrait on his bunk while resting from sea sickness aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as sails in the North Pacific Ocean toward the Bering Strait, Monday, July 10, 2017. "I knew I was going to get sea sick at some point," said the father of two who is trying his hand at ship work after working a series of labor jobs back home. "I'm trying to figure out if it's for me but it's a trip of a lifetime. It's very special. You have to be a little crazy to be on a trip like this." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Engine repairman Jari Jarvinen, 58, sits for a portrait in the mess hall after finishing a night shift aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as it sails in the North Pacific Ocean toward the Bering Strait, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Jarvinen started working on boats over 30 years ago. "I've been there before. For me it's normal work," said Jarvinen of the Northwest Passage. "I like it though. Not everyday is the same. You look outside the window and it's always a different place." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Field biologist Paula von Weller, 45, of Portland, Ore., stands for a portrait aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as it sails in the North Pacific Ocean toward the Bering Strait, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. "Few people in the world get to sail the Northwest Passage," said von Weller, who will be marking her second passage after traveling through with another Finnish icebreaker in 2015. She is observing wildlife in the Arctic and hopes this time to see the elusive narwhal, the unicorn of the sea. "I've been fascinated with the Arctic. It is very special to me. I think it's just this mythical place." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Polar maritime lawyer Scott Joblin, 30, sits for a portrait aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as it sails north in the Bering Sea toward the Arctic, Wednesday, July 12, 2017. "It's a chance to ground my research in real world context," said Joblin who is pursuing his doctorate in international law at Australian National University. "I don't think the size or the scale [of the Arctic] is anything you can comprehend. The trip so far contextualizes how hard it is to get there," said Joblin of the roughly nine days the ship will take to reach the Arctic Circle from its departure in Vancouver. "It's really the frontier as it exists." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Trainee David Kullualik, 24, of Iqaluit, Nunavut, in Canada's northern territories, stands for a portrait on a deck aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as the ship sails north in the Bering Sea toward the Arctic, Wednesday, July 12, 2017. Kullualik is earning sea days toward his training and hopes of being a captain some day. "Our instructor said it was a trip of a lifetime. I said I don't know about that, I grew up around them [polar bears] and the ice is around us nine months of the year," said Kullualik. "I have three kids and I'm just trying to put food on the table. I think of them all the time." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Electrician Kaija Peuhkuri, 42, stands for a portrait in the machine shop of the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as the ship sails north in the Bering Sea toward the Arctic, Wednesday, July 12, 2017. Peuhkuri started as a cook on ships over 20 years ago before going back to school and becoming an electrician on icebreakers in 2009. Growing up on a farm working on machines, she prefers working away at sea as opposed to commuting to a job at home. "I don't want to do this every morning," she said of having to drive to work. "Here, I come downstairs every morning, have a cup of coffee and I'm at work." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Ice navigator, Capt. David "Duke" Snider, 60, a Canadian Coast Guard veteran with 35 years at sea, sits for a portrait aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica next to a satellite image of ice conditions along the Northwest Passage as the ship sails the Chukchi Sea into the Arctic, Saturday, July 15, 2017. Snider, who is aboard to help guide the ship safely through the ice, has sailed into the Arctic hundreds of times and completed the entire passage twice. "Maneuvering a ship in ice takes an entirely different set of skills. You have to understand how ice moves and grows," said Snider. "It's a dance, a slow dance. That's what it's all about, getting the ship through without stepping on her toes." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Chief steward Mika Tiilikka, 54, stands for a portrait aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as the ship sails north in the Chukchi Sea in the Arctic, Friday, July 14, 2017. Tiilikka, who has been growing his beard for 17 years, has worked aboard icebreakers since 2002 and spends about half the year at sea. He told his mother at the age of four that he wanted to be a chef and a sailor and grew up learning her recipes like sauerkraut and pork soup. "She's my inspiration," Tiilikka said. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

AP PHOTOS: Portraits of an icebreaker crew, researchers

AP PHOTOS: Portraits of an icebreaker crew, researchers

By FRANK JORDANS

Jul. 22, 2017

THE ARCTIC CIRCLE (AP) — The ship hadn't yet left Vancouver for the Arctic Circle's Northwest Passage when the icebreaking began — with a round of "introduce yourself to the others."

We'd already met a few crew members of the MSV Nordica icebreaker the day before, including Capt. Jyri Viljanen, a master mariner from Finland who has been going to sea for 39 years.

This month's expedition through the Northwest Passage, with an Associated Press team and international researchers aboard, is Viljanen's first transit through the passage.

Helping guide the ship safely through the treacherous waters is ice navigator Capt. David "Duke" Snider, a Canadian Coast Guard veteran with 35 years at sea and current president of The Nautical Institute for maritime professionals.

Others aboard include Cmdr. Bill Woityra, the ice operations division chief for the U.S. Coast Guard; marine consultant Nigel Greenwood, a retired Canadian admiral in charge of maritime forces in the Pacific; and Capt. Victor Gronmyr, a serving officer in the Canadian Coast Guard.

Two members of Canada's indigenous Inuit community, Maatiusi Manning and David Kullualik, are on board to gain "ship time" as part of their merchant marine training. Manning and Kullualik hope eventually to work on an Inuit-owned fishing ship off Canada's northeast coast.

Six scientists are accompanying the mission. Some, such as Daria Gritsenko of the University of Helsinki, are there to document the state of the ice and marine infrastructure along the Northwest Passage. Others, such as Scott Joblin of the Australian National University, will examine the legal and political issues arising from Arctic exploration and development.

The Nordica also has an experienced field biologist, Paula van Weller, on board. Van Weller is documenting wildlife encounters, including any sightings of polar bears, whales or seals.

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Follow the team of AP journalists as they travel through the Arctic Circle's fabled Northwest Passage: https://www.apnews.com/tag/NewArctic